Digimon Unlimited
by Alphagirl
Summary: [Chappie Three up] Izumi and Sara arrive... and Izumi's visions are starting to come more often, and get clearer...
1. To Speak of the Past

**Digimon Unlimited**

_Two girls, both holding massive buster swords, were fighting back- to- back. Both were rather young at the time, only about twelve. The first one had silverblonde hair, and a metal ring covered her eyes. She was clothed in silver armor over a black shirt and a black skirt. (Note: Have you seen King Arthur? That's exactly how it would look.) Specially made armor covered the skirt in a style similar to the Romans. On her helmet were- you guessed it- goggles! The other, a flaming redhead, was dressed exactly like her, only lacking the goggles and the metal ring._

_Both were positively drenched in dark blood, some their own, some not._

_Surrounding them were a hideous mass of dark monsters, hissing and gnashing their teeth. The redhead pointed her sword menacingly at them. "Back off!"_

_A silence fell. A dark figure pushed through the crowd. It had gigantic bat wings and Myotismon's red metal band over its eyes. "And who do you think you are to stop Belial Arcanimon?"_

_"B-Belial Arcanimon?" She stuttered. _

_"Who else? The Veggiemon's Diner poster mon?" Belial Arcanimon said mockingly. She grabbed the redhead by the throat._

_"Saravelda... Help me!" the redhead rasped out._

_"I- I can't!" The silverblonde ran from the clearing, dropping her buster sword. The dark Digimon gave way and did not attempt to stop her._

_Belial Arcanimon's harsh laughter echoed through the scalding air._

**A/N: Although I'm an :coughAmericancough, I use Kouji and Kouichi instead of Koji and Koichi. Why the dubbers care about one u is beyond me. The characters call each other by their American names, but occasionally use their 'real' names. They also use the metric system, with the exception of psi (pounds per square inch).**

"Ouch! He-"

Zoe Orimoto's foot lodged itself under a rock as she walked. Her untied shoelace gave virtually no resistance to gravity, and she felt herself trip sideways...into the slow-moving stream she'd been walking alongside. She fell with no time to yell for help. With a resounding splash, she fell into the water.

Takuya Kanbara whirled around, looking for the source of the noise. "Oh, Zoe!" He said, almost despairingly. He was not the only one. Kouji Minamoto, Kouichi Kimura, Tommy Himi, and JP Shibayama all turned. Takuya ran past them and splashed into the stream.

"Zoe, are you all right?" He asked. Zoe looked up with her piercing green eyes.

"Of course, Takuya." Her gaze softened when she saw his worried expression. "Except I'm just a tad bit... wet!" And with that, she splashed his knees with water.

"Hey!" Takuya objected, looking down at his drenched shoes. "As if I'm not wet enough already!"

The blonde girl grinned wickedly. "Mwahahaha."

"Oh, yeah?" Takuya answered. He bent down low-his first and only mistake. Zoe jumped up and yanked his goggles over his eyes, pulling his hair down over his eyes with it. Behind him, she took a breath, dived into the water, and pulled his feet out from behind him. She surfaced, laughing.

Takuya's head popped out of the water, coughing and sputtering. "Oh, you are not nice."

Zoe smiled evilly. "The price to pay for hanging out with a blondie!"

Kouji gave a polite cough. Kouichi looked worriedly at his brother and Takuya. JP was turning redder by the second, while Tommy was fighting the urge to dive in as well. Zoe caught the look Kouji shot Takuya, and it was cold, indeed.

"I suggest," he said icily, "That you two get dried off."

Takuya's complexion turned red. Zoe was unfazed. She waded over to Kouji, who was standing on the bank, glowering. She gave him her sweetest smile.

"Come on, Kouji. The water's great. All work and no play makes one boring Digidestined."

Kouji felt his heart soften when he saw her dazzling smile. But he angrily shoved away that warm emotion. He didn't need it.

"Please, Kouji. You really need to have some fun. You're really boring." Tommy stated quite simply. He dropped his hat and dived in, splashing a startled Takuya.

"No, Zoe." Kouji said softly. He saw the pain in her eyes, and immediately regretted what he had said. But Zoe was already gone, asking JP and Kouichi to come on in. Needless to say, they did not put up many objections.

Kouji sat sullenly on a rock, watching Takuya and J.P. play with Tommy. The little boy was, surprisingly, holding his own against the other two. Kouichi was floating on the water. Neemon was standing on Kouichi's stomach, while Bokomon was scowling from the bank, where he had seated himself. Zoe was on the opposite bank, leaning against a tree. Nothing he'd ever seen was as beautiful as her right now. Her stunning golden hair was hanging loosely in water-slicked spikes. Her creamy white skin was shining with water. Zoe's quiet grace was obvious in her posture. Kouji felt his heart begin to race. Yet when he followed her gaze, it nearly broke. Her intense green eyes, always vigilant, were resting on Takuya.

Zoe's eyes suddenly flickered, glanced upward, and met Kouji's stare. For a moment, he could swear that a faint blush grew on her cheeks. Then she turned away. Then, out of the blue, she dived into the water (spraying Kouichi in the process), swam over to the other side, and sat... next to Kouji.

She turned and gave him a wide grin. "Why don't you come on in?"

"Why should I?" Kouji objected, annoyed. "What's the point?"

"Oh, come on, Kouji. What do you have against fun?" Zoe gave a soft laugh.

He shrugged. All of a sudden, he felt a tingling on his spine. Zoe was running her fingers up and down his back. Kouji, unused to such close contact, felt his muscles twitch. Acting instinctively, he grabbed her arm and twisted it. Zoe gave out a cry, more from shock than from pain.

Kouji suddenly realized what he was doing. He let her go, and she fell to her knees. "I'm sorry, really sorry," he mumbled, the words tumbling out of his mouth before he could stop. "I am so sorry, Zoe! I didn't mean it!"

Takuya turned around. "Zoe! Are you all right?" He leaped up, out of the water. He sat on the ground, hugging the blonde maiden close. His angry reddish eyes glared up at Kouji.

Zoe moaned softly. She flexed her arm, and Kouji winced as he heard a popping sound. Takuya rolled back her sleeve and looked at her shoulder. "It's dislocated."

J.P. called from the stream. "What is it?"

Takuya yelled back, "Kouichi, JP, don't let Tommy come over here! I don't want him to see this!"

Zoe actually smiled. "Why are you so worried? This once happened to me during a soccer game. I just popped it back in, like so." And before either Kouji or Takuya could stop her, she pushed it back in.

Kouji grimaced. "Sorry, Zoe..."

"Oh, it's quite all right, Kouji. No lasting effects." Zoe said, now quite embarrassed that Takuya had his arms around her. She turned to him and raised an eyebrow. "Can you let me go now?"

Takuya also blushed. "Sure, but will you be all right?"

"Oh, I'm fine, Takuya." Zoe wriggled out of his grasp and raced over to the stream.

Takuya stood up and glared fiercely at Kouji. "Don't go near her again, or... well, let me just say it won't exactly be G-rated."

Kouji got up and stood eye-to-eye with Takuya. "Don't think you scare me, Takuya. Nothing scares me, so why don't you just go off and find your mommy?"

Takuya's voice dropped to a low growl. "Why don't you leave? We don't need you here."

"As if. You guys would have been beaten a long time ago if it wasn't for me."

"Oh, yeah?" Takuya challenged.

"Uh-huh. If I were to leave, you'd be beaten up in five minutes flat." Kouji responded.

By this time, Kouichi, JP, Tommy, and Zoe were staring at Kouji and Takuya.

Takuya shoved Kouji. "You know, the next time you leave and you get in trouble with Lucemon or some Digimon like that, why don't you tell it that you have friends here? It could probably use a laugh."

_Bam!_

Takuya rubbed his face where Kouji had punched him. "You're dead meat, Minamoto."

He lunged at Kouji's legs and knocked him down. Takuya would have body slammed him, but Kouji brought up his feet and kicked brutally at his opponent's chest, knocking the air out of his lungs. Takuya gasped for breath, but it gave Kouji the time he needed to get up and aim a couple of blows at the gogglehead's face. Takuya brought up his knee and pushed Kouji away with a kick to the stomach. Both Digidestined faced each other like boxers, raising their fists.

Over at the stream, Tommy let out a horrified gasp. "Why are they fighting?"

J.P. yelled, "No, you guys! Don't fight!"

Zoe was already in motion, her flexible body racing towards the two fighters. Kouichi ran behind her, each understanding what the other had to do. JP let out a loud yell and sprinted as fast as he could, heading for Kouji and Takuya.

Tommy stood stunned for a moment, and then followed.

Takuya didn't have much strength left, but he growled menacingly at Kouji anyways. He curled his hands into fists and charged with all the energy he had left. Packing as much force as possible into his right fist, he drew it back and swung ferociously. He realized he felt satisfied when a shocked look streaked across his adversary's features.

Kouji would have struck back. Takuya thought he was so strong. And he probably was- only Kouji was just a better fighter. He attacked with strategy, not just brute force.

He saw Takuya load up a powerful punch. What a loser. He was about to waste all his energy on this one blow. In Kouji's mind, the equation was all sorted out- he would win. But plans don't always work the way they're intended... sometimes a blonde variable enters the problem...

Zoe rushed in blindly between Takuya and Kouji. If they weren't going to stop, then she would make them. She heard a rush of wind as Takuya's fist connected with her chest, forcing the air out of her windpipes. Then, Kouji's elbow rammed her in the back. She landed hard on the ground, searing pain shooting through her.

"I really have got to learn not to be a punching bag," she mumbled as pain numbed her.

Takuya looked at Zoe's body, lying on the ground. His face paled.

Tommy was the first to react. He rushed to her side. "Zoe! Zoe-san, can you hear me? Zoe-san! Say something!"

"Get. Off. My. Hair." was her muffled reply.

Kouichi gently picked her up. Tiredly, the warrior of wind wrapped her arms around him. He blushed and set her down softly in the shade.

She opened her eyes and gave him a smile. "Oh, yeah. Now I'm a professional boxer, go me..."

He put two fingers on her lips, smiled mysteriously, and walked away, leaving a puzzled Zoe behind.

She looked up at Kouji, plainly confused. "Does he _always_ act like this?"

Kouji shrugged. "Occasionally. But, Zoe-" Here he bent low, staring deep into her emerald eyes-"Are you mad at me?"

Zoe gave a short laugh. "Of course not! Why would I be? However... On a more serious note, why were you two-" She pointed at Takuya, then Kouji-"fighting? On second thought," She said coldly, plainly seeing how both were turning a bit red, "Don't answer that."

Takuya tried to interrupt. "Zoe, we-"

"Aw, save it for Lucemon!" Zoe said with a snarl, and turned away.

Takuya quickly backed off, and glanced at Kouji worriedly.

Kouji shrugged, seemingly uncaringly. "Whatever."

Nobody talked about the incident. Tommy and JP glanced worriedly at Takuya and Kouji, who were glaring at each other over the fire they had built for the night. Kouichi snuck furtive looks at Zoe, who seemed oddly quiet. Bokomon and Neemon were simply muttering to each other, not daring to break the dark mood that had fallen upon the Digidestined.

Finally, Tommy spoke in a small voice. "Our fire's going out... we should go get more wood."

Without a sound, Zoe got up and walked into the woods surrounding them on their right side. JP saw a brief glimpse of his fellow legendary warrior's face, and he nearly gasped. Her hair partially covered her face, leaving half of it dark. Her normally bright green eyes had dilated, and they seemed to be radiating with a dark energy he couldn't quite place. But her eyes... besides all that, they had lost all traces of warmth and kindness that were second nature to her.  
Without really intending to, JP let out a small gasp, not too loud, but loud enough to be heard by all... including Zoe. With a snarl, she whirled on JP, snatched his shirt collar, and to everyone's surprise, lifted him about five centimeters from the ground. "Got a problem, JP?"

Kouji's eyes widened as Takuya asked, "Zoe...?"

Zoe shook him as JP grew paler by the second. "Again, got a problem, Junpei-kun?" She raised an eyebrow, teasing, mocking.

Tommy shook violently. "Izumi-chan..." Bokomon chastised Zoe, saying, "Zoe! You are a legendary warrior, so behave like one!"

Zoe turned her head, snapping at Bokomon, "I'll do anything I want! None of you can stop me!"

Tommy began whimpering, "Zoe, don't hurt him!" He turned to Takuya and, grabbing his red shirt, began sobbing into it. Takuya did his best to comfort him.

Zoe recoiled, and seemed to come to her senses. She dropped JP, wincing and holding her wrist. Wide-eyed she gazed at her friends. JP was just looking up at her, scared and frightened, as was Tommy. Kouji was simply staring at her. Takuya and Bokomon looked at her with shock and disbelief. Neemon was muttering to himself, but he was obviously subdued.

Zoe turned and bolted into the forest.

Takuya stood up, brushed Tommy off him, and ran into the woods after her, yelling, "Zoe! Come back!"

Izumi didn't really watch where she was going, nor did she really care. She didn't care when the branches struck her face and left red scars, and if she was lucky, drew blood. She ignored Takuya's yells behind her. She tripped over a root, cutting her leg open. She simply got back up and kept going; she was strangely detached from everything, not hearing, not seeing, not touching, not _feeling._ Her astral self soared through the clouds with no emotions.

Ah, how she wished it was true; not to feel. She _did_ feel; she felt every jolt going through her body as her feet made contact with the ground, her sore wrist, the cold that bit at her bare legs. Somewhere, in the back of her subconscious, she wished she'd worn blue denim jeans. She pushed the thought away. What she felt most was pain. There was an empty hollow in her chest where her heart had once been. Part of her, the living part, wanted nothing more than to fling herself to the ground and beg for forgiveness. But the other side, the dead side, kept going. She no longer remembered her name. She did not know if she was a she. It didn't know if it was even a being. And there was a third part. A piece that beat its chest like the ticking of a watch. Unthinkingly, it placed its hand on its breast. It felt heat, but it was not the same; it had a rhythm, but it was not its rhythm; instead, it ticked. And it tocked. Tick, tock. Tick, tock. Tick, tock. Tick, tock. Tick, tock. Tick, tock-

"Augh! Gotcha!" And Zoe felt her astral self return in a rush, felt a pair of arms wrap themselves around her legs, and she went down, down to meet the earth.

Zoe attempted to kick him off her. Takuya let go of her legs, only for a split second, but it was enough time for Zoe to scramble to her feet and start to run. Takuya got up quickly, pushed her into a tree, and wrapped his arms around her slender waist, and fixed her to the tree. Takuya's face was so close to Zoe's face, he might have blushed if it was a less serious occasion. Zoe squirmed a bit.

Takuya glared his fellow Digidestined in the face. "What was that all about!"

Instead of yelling back at him or something along those lines, she did something totally unexpected- she burst into tears and rested her head on his shoulder.

Takuya, startled, patted her back awkwardly. He backed away from the tree, and she wrapped her arms around him. "What's wrong?"

Zoe sobbed, "I- I'm sor-sorry, I don't k-know what ca-came over m-me..."

Takuya ran his hand through the blonde's hair. "Calm down, Zoe."

Zoe sighed and cleared her throat, but still hiccupped a bit. "I'm sorry, Takuya. I-I don't know what came over me... It was like I wasn't even Zoe anymore... For a moment I forgot who I was... All I can tell you is it wasn't me back there, honest..."

Takuya gently pushed her down towards the ground, and both sat. "I know this will sound terribly cliché, but hear me out. I know how you feel."

Zoe wiped her tears away. "How?"

He took a deep breath. "When BurningGreymon possessed me, it was like I wasn't in control of my own body... It was frightening, to feel possessed; I hadn't ever met something I couldn't beat, and it was just awful, especially when I attacked Tommy... I just couldn't _stop _myself, you know?"

Zoe nodded, wiping away more tears. "I know. But..."

Takuya's brow furrowed. "What? You're afraid they won't forgive you?"

Zoe nodded dumbly.

Takuya smiled sympathetically. "You guys forgave me, right?"

"Good point. But..."

"What?"

Zoe looked up at him, wintergreen eyes filled with confusion. "I_ know_ I'm not that strong...If that wasn't me, then who was it? Or _what_?"

_Not too far away..._

She jumped when she heard an odd beeping sound from a device hanging on her bedstead.

"It can't be..."

Sure enough, a purple symbol pointed at it on the screen of the maiden's D-Force.

"The power of Time has awakened..."

She took her D-Force off the little hook and went over to the window, holding it in her hands as a slight breeze fluttered through her silvery blonde hair.

"The Daughter of Time is here...in Digiworld."

She bowed her head, contemplating.

Kouji watched Zoe from the other side of the fire. Takuya had returned with her (and firewood), and Zoe had apologized to JP, who was still in a state of shock, but nevertheless in awe that his girlfriend-to-be packed a tested 87 psi punch. Right now, under hooded eyelids, he watched the blonde angel stifle a yawn.

_Blonde angel?_

Yes, that was what he thought of her. He knew it would seem insanely out-of-character if he ever said it aloud, but he... well, his attitude, subtle as it might seem, was different towards her than towards the rest. He knew his brother Kouichi liked her, and so did Takuya and JP. Naturally, not Tommy- yet. He couldn't help it; she _was_ the only girl in the group, and so he couldn't resist having a bit of a soft spot for her.

Odd as the night's events had been, everything was relatively calm; Zoe fighting sleep, JP staring at her, Takuya also trying to stay awake next to Zoe, Kouichi welcoming the dark oblivion of sleep (even though he wasn't asleep yet), Tommy yawning loudly, Bokomon reading a book, and Neemon nearly setting his pants on fire. In other words, the usual.

Tommy stretched his arms. "Bokomon, got any good stories?"

"Yeah!" Zoe said excitedly. "I love bedtime stories!"

"And with Bokomon's monotone, we'll be sleeping in no time flat," Kouichi said dryly.

"Hmph!" Bokomon snorted. "I'll have you know, there's some great stories in here!"

"Well, tell us!" JP pleaded.

"Oh, fine," Bokomon said huffily, flipping through some pages. "I suppose I could... no, no; this one's for _mature_ children..."

"Oh!" Zoe said. "I'm insulted!"

"Well, ok," Bokomon groaned reluctantly.

_"Long, long ago... before the great feud between the beast and human-type Digimon... Before the evil Lucemon first arrived... There were twelve evil warriors, all of whom carried immense power._

"Any relation to the Legendary Warriors?" Tommy asked.

"Probably not," Bokomon answered.

_"The first was Genimon, an incredibly powerful Digimon who possessed the power of Earth. He ruled the mountains, and everything under the ground was his domain._

_"Next came Ryonumon. He lived in the deserts, and wherever he went, dry weather followed._

_"Jyouromon was after him; he ruled metal and his area was modern. He and Genimon were good friends, and they merged their areas to create one big one._

_"Mitomon ruled the rivers and the oceans. He could summon the entire sea to his aid. He was revered by the dark sea Digimon._

_"Tricemon was seen in lightning storms, but he did not rule them; he governed the nighttime, and was visible in a lightning flash. He was the most unpredictable of the warriors, and he was never in the same place twice._

_"HiroKidramon was ultra-powerful. Although the warriors were not known for their mercy, he ruled justly for the most part._

_"Yukiodramon was very close to HiroKidramon. He stayed in the shadows for the most part._

"Aren't there any girl warriors?" Zoe interrupted.

"I'm getting to that!" Bokomon scowled.

_"As a contrast to the seven male Digimon, there were five female ones._

_"Ruhanamon was the warrior of air, and glided from one tree to the next. She could fly, of course._

_"Liramon, the good-looking ruler of the moon, was somewhat vain, but a great fighter!_

_"Seravalomon and light went hand in hand, living in the prairie region._

_"Dralsomon, the fiery soldier of the volcano, lived in the volcanic area._

_"Reikadramon was the ruler of stone, and the most methodical of the warriors, known for her great perception._

"Definitely not like Zoe!" Kouichi joked.

Zoe stuck her tongue out at him.

"He's right, you know," Takuya grinned.

The warrior of wind playfully poked him in the side and laid her head on his shoulder.

At this, Kouji lay down on the ground and closed his eyes. Sometimes he couldn't stand Takuya! Always the leader, everything exceptional happened to him... plus, he was rather envious of the easy way he had with her. Confident, strong, and handsome- how could Zoe resist him?

_And I'm just some blue-haired, quiet, loner boy...Why would she ever like me?_

He glanced at the blonde angel, listening intently to Bokomon's story. How he longed to run his hand through her soft hair, feel the warmth of her skin next to his-

_Stop it Kouji! She'll never want you..._

_"The twelve dark warriors ruled with an iron fist. Unified, they had the power to destroy the Digital World completely and utterly. Separated, however, they were no match for some powerful Digimon. A potent underground organization began led by the great Nivormon. Under his command were Omnimon, Imperialdramon, Gallantmon, and Susannomon, four horribly powerful Digimon that stood a chance against the Twelve._

_Omnimon and Imperialdramon attacked the cities of Air and Water first, and captured Mitomon and Reikadramon (who were caught by surprise) and deleted them both. Gallantmon took on Ryonumon of the Desert and was victorious. Susannomon invaded the City of the Moon and confined Liramon, who was defeated after a three-day battle, but could not be scanned. _

_The remaining eight were besieged in separate cities, except for Genimon and Seravalomon, who had been... erm... together in the City of Light at the time._

"Something tells me the word erm isn't in the book, Bokomon." Takuya said.

"Well, I don't know how to phrase it!" Bokomon said defensively. "I refuse to believe any of these warriors except maybe HiroKidramon and Yukiodramon were capable of emotion."

"Including...?" Zoe smiled wickedly.

"I'm not even going to answer that, Zoe," Bokomon looked flustered.

Takuya gave her a thumbs-up. He always had admired the way Izumi was so confident and downright daring at times. The bearer of the spirits of wind had her head on his shoulder and was absentmindedly twirling a blonde lock around her finger. Takuya felt his eyes turn to her blonde hair, her soft skin...

_...Zoe..._

_"The remaining eight, except for HiroKidramon and Yukiodramon, both of whom mysteriously disappeared at the time and were never seen again in Digiworld, fled in the direction of the City of Light. However, Jyouromon went to the City of the Moon to save Liramon, who was apparently his sister. The two broke out and fought a reckless battle against Susannomon, who was defeated. Thankfully, Omnimon and Imperialdramon fused to become Imperialdramon Paladin Mode, who promptly overwhelmed Liramon and Jyouromon._

_"Meanwhile, Reikadramon, contrary to what many thought she would do, attacked Nivormon head-on and caused him much damage. The dark warrior of stone was then scanned._

_"However, Nivormon was severely injured and so Imperialdramon Paladin and Gallantmon Crimson ambushed Tricemon and Dralsomon on their way to the City. Dralsomon got away, but Tricemon could not and instead was turned into data._

"I'm sorry, but the way this story is written, you'd think that it's Nivormon and his team that are evil, and not the Warriors." Zoe objected.

"I have to agree," Kouji said, to the surprise of everyone. "I'm starting to feel sorry for them."

"Are you _sure_ they are –were – evil?" Zoe asked.

"Ya- Wha? Why would they be good?" Bokomon looked puzzled.

"I'm just saying," Zoe shrugged.

_"Genimon, Seravalomon, and Dralsomon were the only warriors left. Under siege in the City of Light, they attempted an escape, but only Seravalomon managed to get out. She fled to the north._

_"Nivormon recovered, and alongside Imperialdramon Paladin and Gallantmon Crimson, leveled the city. Unfortunately, Seravalomon returned, but oddly, she no longer had the power of Light. Instead, she had the power of Ice. No historians can record what happened, as we do not know. I, Centaurumon, believe that Seravalomon's power caused a freezing of time, which explains why when Nivormon's army thawed out, they couldn't find the three remaining warriors, who have never been seen again. It also explains why the prairie has been reduced to a barren arctic wasteland._

_"Also, a small carved message was found in a block of ice nearby:_

S.V. Dragan, S.T. Dragan, R. Ootori, R. Rivera, L. Giarratano, J. Giarratano, M. Yamaki, G. Murakami, T. Thomas, R. Kuraya, H. Hida, Y. Oikawa dominated this World in the First and Second Ages. In the name of all powers, we will return.

_You figure it out._

_Centaurumon, official historian of Digiworld under Leomon of File Lake_

"Whoa." Tommy yawned.

"How very inspirational," Zoe said sarcastically.

Kouichi was already asleep, having fallen asleep halfway between Mitomon and Reikadramon's capture. Junpei had snoozed off, and only Takuya, Tomoki, Kouji, and Izumi were still awake.

"Well..." Tommy trailed off.

"Good night," Zoe yawned, stretched, and lay down on her bed of leaves.

"Don't let the bedbugs bite!" Takuya said, and flopped down on his leafy mattress as well.

"Get some sleep, guys," Kouji murmured.

"G'night, Talky onii-chan. G'night, Zoe-chan. G'night, Kouji-kun."

Takuya smiled devilishly at Zoe from his bed right next to her. "Good night, Izumi-kun."

"Don't let the digibugs bite, Takuya-chan!" Zoe returned, equally sinisterly.

Kouji turned his back on the two. He scowled, his previous feelings returning. He remembered beating the living daylights out of the goggle leader earlier. Why was he so overprotective of the warrior of wind? Zoe could _obviously_ defend herself.

_The same reason we all defend her._

_We love her._

But in a platonic way, or what?

_Liramon vs. Susannomon- City of the Moon_

Also known as:

_Mahalomon vs. Anti- Susannomon_

_Mahalomon gasped as her digicode showed. No... After three straight days of battling, it could not end like this! It just couldn't!_

_Anti- Susannomon leered at her. "Have you given up, you miserable excuse for an Armor Digivolved Digimon?"_

_Mahalomon sighed as the rings of digicode faded. "No!"_

_"Suit yourself." Anti-Susannomon groaned. "I was hoping it wouldn't come to this... I was rather hoping you would be my girlfriend."_

_"Under different circumstances, yes. Under the current circumstances, no."_

_"Why not?" Anti-Susannomon scowled. "Think about it. Your city would be spared. You would see your brother-"_

_"Leave Joey out of this!" Mahalomon deathglared him._

_"-And your fellow Digidestined would live. As slaves, of course. But alive nonetheless."_

_"That and six simple payments of $29.95 will get you a toaster oven." Mahalomon taunted. "For giving birth to a ton of little chibi Anti-Digimon? No thanks."_

_"But why?"_

_"Gee, maybe because I'm a Digidestined, sworn to protect the City of the Moon from monsters like you? What a concept!"_

_"Am I a monster to you?" Anti-Susannomon said fiercely. _

_"Let's just say I have a thing about guys who have been trying to hack my head off for the past three days! Horizon Glare!" Mahalomon's fists glowed intensely and she threw several punches at the Anti-Digimon._

_"Anti- Celestial Blade!" Anti- Susannomon roared, pulling out his gigantic sword and powering it up. _

_Mahalomon cried out, "Mahalo Shield!"_

_But a champion Digimon is no match for an Anti-Mega._

_She fell to the ground, digicode shining. A glow spread through her body, and she de-digivolved into Iotamon. Unfortunately, because the rings of digicode were still there, she figured she was apparently de-digivolving once more._

_And if she reverted into Lisa, it was all over._

_Anti- Susannomon smirked lustily at the rings of digicode. "This was so easy."_

_Iotamon smiled back as her Crest of Faithfulness, D-Terminal, and D-Force lit up with an ethereal light. "Guess again! Iotamon, Warp Digivolve to..."_

_"...Metriomon!" The half-wolf, half-Amazon warrior Digimon took a huge glaive off her back._

_"Bring it on," Metriomon grinned wolfishly._

_Anti- Susannomon charged._

"Zoe? Izumi-chan! Are you all right?"

"Ya- wha-?" Zoe groggily opened her eyes to meet Kouji's navy blue ones.

"You were muttering and thrashing in your sleep." Kouji said worriedly. "Are you all right?"

"I'm fine, thanks," Zoe answered airily. "Was I... saying anything?"

"Something about an Anti-Susannomon and various Hawaiian words," Kouji responded. "Whatever an Anti-Susannomon is."

"Sorry," Zoe said apologetically.

"Yeah," Kouji said, and stood up. "Have a good night."

"Kouji?"

"Yeah?"

"Can I ask you a personal question?"

"Sure," Kouji shrugged.

"Did- did I scare you? I mean, when I went all bizarro on JP...?"

Kouji stared deep into her eyes and kneeled down. He put a hand under her chin and raised her face towards his so their lips were nearly touching.

"Yes." He answered, and Zoe could feel his breath on her face. She strangled a moan of primeval pleasure, but she felt her consciousness slip away...

It was pure instinct, and the only thing it could feel was lust. It pushed a shocked Kouji down to the ground and straddled him with its legs.

"Z- Izumi?" Kouji was stunned at such a rapid change in his friend's attitude.

"Kouji... is that your name? This host has some very interesting thoughts about you... and I do too," Zoe's mouth opened and closed to the words, but it wavered between her normal voice and an old, haunting voice... He looked at her eyes, which were not their normal bright green eyes, but a dark, evil shade...

But then it blinked and it was gone, replaced with plain, nice Zoe.

She put a hand to her head. "I'm sorry, Kouji-Kun..."

"Zoe?" he asked worriedly.

"Just leave me alone," she said, retreating from him to a darker corner, hiding from the firelight.

He gazed at her, concerned.

Maybe she's going schizo...

"I hope she's better in the morning," Kouji murmured right before falling asleep.

WHAT'S WRONG WITH ME! Zoe thought furiously, trying to think of some reason, any reason for trying to do something to Kouji.

Kouji-Kun... Please don't hate me...

Several times during her stay in Digiworld, she'd never really thought of running away, at least not seriously. But now she began to think sincerely about it.

Kouichi-Kun... He's a mystery, so I don't know how he'd react...

Junpei-Kun... He's seen what I've done firsthand. He'll understand.

Can I really do this to Tommy-kun? He'd be too young to understand anyway... Takuya-san will take care of him.

Kouji-Kun... Takuya-san... I don't know how I feel about them... they're both terrific...

... And I love them all. Especially those two.

This is why I'm doing this.

I'm running away.

Her mind made up, Zoe reached into the fire and pulled out a half- burned charcoal stick. Dragging over a dry, flat rock from the banks of the stream, she wrote a small message:

_For your own safety, I'm gone. I'll be fine on my own. I hope you guys can defeat Lucemon on your own and that you'll get home safely. Do not, I repeat, do not try to find me. I have to do this on my own._

_Izumi-Chan_

Standing up, she mused, "Where should I go?" After some thought, she decided she would walk along the stream. The warrior of wind gave one last glance at her friends, hoped that they would be all right, and strode off into the night.

_My first story... Tell me if I should continue! The fight scene was really crappy > Please R&R!_


	2. Bitterness

(Alpha is sitting on a sofa in a luxurious study with a fireplace in front of her)

**Authoristic Note:** SO SORRY for being so slow to update (cos Alpha's a loser) I have two perfectly legitimate reasons for not updating. The first is that everything's been so busy this summer. What with going into High School and all, shopping for school supplies, my cousins came to visit from California as well, so I haven't been able to touch the computer in some time. So that's my first excuse.

(points to her lap where Yamato has fallen asleep) And that's the second reason.

**Disclaimer:** Roses are red, violets are blue, I don't own Digimon, and neither do you!

**Digimon Unlimited**

---------------------------------

Chapter Two: Bitterness

_Reikadramon attacks Nivormon – the road to the City of Light_

Also known as:

_Riley attacks Nivormon_

_"What has happened? Why have we stopped!" Nivormon growled at his nearest officer. The BlackWarGreymon shivered. The master was in a bad mood._

_"The slaves can no longer take the pace," BlackWarGreymon said in the least panicked voice he could muster (which, by the way, was not very convincing.)_

_"Tell them their rations will be cut if they do not move!" Nivormon roared. _

_Just as BlackWarGreymon was about to tell the slaves his Master's orders, a voice yelled, "NIVORMON, LET THEM GO!"_

_Momentarily shaken, Nivormon yelled, "Who dares to defy me?"_

_A young girl stepped out of the woods and tossed her megaphone to the side. "Me. Got a problem?"_

_"Ootori Reika," Nivormon scowled._

_"Riley," she corrected the evil Digimon, morphing into Sigmamon as she went. The slaves, various small Rookie and Champion Digimon with a few Ultimates here and there, cheered as they recognized her._

_"Shut up!" Nivormon snarled. "Why do you not run?"_

_"Oh, as to that," Sigmamon smirked. "I intend to destroy you."_

_"Whatever," Nivormon sneered. "How? Using that megaphone on me?"_

_"That's actually the most sense I've ever heard out of you," Sigmamon taunted. "Recognize this?" She waved a small pebble at him._

_"A fragment of the Dramon Stone," Nivormon scoffed. "What good can that do? It's only a small piece!"_

_"Watch me," Sigmamon smiled benevolently, but it was a smile that shook Nivormon deeply. Sigmamon's crest began to glow fiercely, and so did her D-Force, D- Terminal, and the Dramon Stone._

_"Oh, no," Nivormon realized what she was doing._

_"Sigmamon, Hyper Warp Digivolution to..."_

_A flash of light temporarily blinded the dark warrior._

_"... Raldramon!"_

_"Hah! Do you think I am amused by your little light show? I can take whatever you throw at me!"_

_The Warrior of Stone drew a massive boomerang from her back. "Then bring it on." _

**OOO**

"Gah!" Zoe said as she skidded on the banks of the stream. She had been walking along for about an hour and a half. Since it was still dark, she kept tripping over several tree roots and falling into the stream. Her legs and skirt were splattered with mud. She had long since stopped trying to stay clean. To do so would be to step into the freezing mountain stream. With nothing to do but think and talk to herself, the young blonde daydreamed as she went along. Unfortunately, the bad side effects included falling in the mud every two second, which was _not_ pleasant.

"I don't know why I keep getting these visions... if that's what you call them..." A splash of water greeted her as she tripped into the stream. "Yecch... Mud all over my face... "

Staggering on, she held a long stick she'd found. Twirling it occasionally, she walked unsteadily, not entirely seeing the edge. As she went on, the rushing of the water became more pronounced and she shivered as the water lapped at her feet violently. Still, she was unquestionably persistent, pressing on because she was afraid to lose the 'path'.

Suddenly, the warrior of wind stepped on something slippery, and she went toppling over into the stream. She reached for the edges of the banks, but the wet soil crumbled under her hand. Mind clouded by panic, she screamed. Logic returned and she gripped her staff tightly, intending to stop herself by ramming it into the sides of the stream. "Hyah!" Zoe yelled for dramatic effect as she pushed the edge of her staff into the mud.

The staff held, and she managed to get a much-needed breath of air, and she checked her surroundings. She couldn't recognize the landscape; apparently she'd gone farther downstream than she'd thought. Only a few meters away, rushing water roared as she saw the beginning of some rapids. She felt her staff begin to loosen.

"No... please, no..." But her protest was swept away as the long stick gave way and she was dragged along into the rapids.

The warrior of wind instinctively reached for her D-Tector, but she didn't feel it there! "Oh, no!" Zoe groaned. The young blonde had no time to think about it further, though, as she saw a rock coming up. She reached out a hand and touched it for one brief second, but she slipped and was swept along.

"Is that... a _waterfall?"_ Zoe screamed, clutching desperately for any hold. All she could find was her staff, and she felt herself launched into the air which had once helped her, her hat flying off...

...And a hand grabbed the blonde by the back of her jacket, stopping her from falling. But she still slammed hard against the rocky wall to the side of the waterfall. She watched her hat try to resist the inexorable pull of gravitation, but it eventually fell into the lake.

The lake _100 meters down._

Izumi looked up for the first time. She saw a shadowy figure with eagle wings and two long spikes sticking out of its head. "W-who are _you?_"

"Hello to you, too," the Digimon replied in a distinctly feminine voice, grunting as she flew to the edge of the cliff-for it was indeed, a cliff.

"Whoever you are, thanks!" Zoe said gratefully.

"Anytime; but if you intend on being swept off cliffs often, I'm never doing that again!"

She laughed at the sarcastic Digimon. "No thanks, once is enough for me! But who are you?"

The female Digimon stepped into the light that was peeking over the treetops. Zoe saw the metallic face of an eagle mask, but there was a face. It had a smaller metal band over its eyes, much like Kazemon. Two metal spikes stuck out of her mask. However, it could not hide her expression; her wide grin was too obvious. "I am Midorimon, but I am more commonly known as-" A glow surrounded Midorimon, and a more diminutive figure appeared, but it was still tall. "Dragan. Sara Dragan. Digidestined of Ice." Sara was silver-haired, and she still had a metal band across her face, hiding her eyes.

"You're Digidestined?" Zoe asked unbelievingly.

"Yes... And you are too. Warrior of wind, I believe. I also believe this is yours." And she handed Zoe her D-Tector. "An interesting little device, this. I have a different model, of course."

"Yeah, thanks!" But as Zoe's D-Tector touched her hand, a small device at Sara's waist glowed brightly and beeped repeatedly.

"The Daughter of Time..." Sara murmured.

"What?" The younger girl asked.

"Come with me," Sara said abruptly, stalking away. "I have much to teach you."

"Well..." Zoe hesitated.

"What?" Sara asked gently.

"I'm running away," Zoe said quietly. "You won't take me back, will you?"

Sara smiled. "Not a chance, not unless you wanted me to."

"Okay... Where are we going?"

The silver haired girl smiled. "My place."

**OOO**

"Good morning, y'all!" Tomoki said brightly, waking up first. He walked over to Takuya first, shaking the older boy awake. "Get any sleep, Talky?"

"Meh, go away and bother Kouji instead!" Takuya groaned.

"Okay!" Tommy cheerfully grinned and skipped over to Kouji. "Kouji, good morning!"

Kouji grudgingly got up and stretched tiredly. "Takuya, awake yet?"

"Yes, thanks to ice-boy over there!" Takuya yawned.

Kouichi and Junpei moaned as they too woke. "And it's another morning in the middle of nowhere, a perfect day for fighting the Royal Knights and an insane power-hungry angel! Temperatures today are predicted to be in the high 28s, lows in the 25s."

"Zoe! Good morning!" Tommy laughed happily and shook the girl awake.

Or would have, if she was there.

"What's wrong?" Takuya asked the younger boy, whose face was now deathly pale.

"Izumi's gone."

**OOO**

The silver-haired woman splashed water on her face as Zoe watched her. The two had stopped by a small pool, on their way to wherever Sara was taking her.

Izumi absentmindedly kicked a small rock into the small pool, spreading ripples in the water. "So... You're Digidestined?"

"Yes, I am." Sara said, offering no further elaboration.

"Oh." For a moment, tense silence hovered in the air. Sara broke it as she asked, "I know you're Digidestined, but no Digidestined has ever been here on their own- they've always come here in groups."

"You're right," Zoe sighed. "I was running away."

"Why?" Sara asked, feigning ignorance.

Zoe lay back on the ground, feeling the grass crumble beneath her. "I don't know... Have you ever felt that other people were inside you, controlling every motion, while you just huddle in the corner, helplessly, until it decides to give back control?"

Sara looked at her, a serious look on her face. "All the time, that I do."

"Yeah... Basically, that was the reason."

Sara seemed to think, then whipped out a dagger and scratched something on a nearby rock. "Tell, me, Izumi, have you ever seen this symbol before?" It was a circle with several slash marks made on it, and a triangle piece cut out of the circle, like a pie chart.

"Not that I recall... But it does look mildly familiar."

"Hmm..." was all Sara would say in response. "Are you tired?" She asked after a few seconds.

"Yes," Zoe responded.

"Then get some sleep," the silverblonde said, stating the obvious. Izumi then lay on the grass, trying to sleep. In the dim light, out of the corner of her eye, she saw her older companion run a hand over the stone she had carved on earlier. "The Broken Circle of Time," Sara murmured, right before sleep claimed her.

**OOO**

Takuya wasn't looking where he was running. He knew that he couldn't trust his eyes. Instinctively, he reached out and felt the rough bark of the tree where he and Izumi had been last night. Takuya's slightly blurry vision didn't help matters. The Warrior of Fire staggered along blindly holding aggressively to each tree until he collapsed in the center of the small clearing and let out an agonized yell.

"Zoe- Warrior of Wind- we need her- I need her-" He kept muttering to himself.

And then he heard it.

It was morning, so the dew was still on the grass, so Takuya's pants were starting to get wet. And he paid no heed to the seeping wetness; he was transfixed. The wind whispered through the trees, but not aimlessly as it might have done any other day. It, too, seemed like it was mourning.

"What is it?" He said quietly, unheard by all except the fresh morning breeze. "Why do you cry?"

"_The Lady of the winds is gone, gone, turned her back has she, she looks to the future, she looks to the past, no longer to the skies-"_

"What is it? What are you _talking _about!" Takuya yelled, frustrated beyond belief.

_"She has given it up, given it up... The circle is nearly complete..."_

"What?" Takuya asked, but the wind no longer spoke to him. It would only obey its master. The boy turned and began to head back, but not before he heard the wind sing just one more time:

_"The beginning of the end is near, the beginning of the end is near..."_

**OOO**

_A young woman scrambled over the hot desert sand, her white winter clothes (or what was left of them) not suited at all for the hot atmosphere. Dust flew around wildly- apparently a large blast had just struck the girl, which explained the raggedy condition of her apparel. Her shoulder appeared to be bleeding, and her hand flew to her shoulder to stop the bleeding. Her wild silver hair flew in the hot desert breeze as a figure walked through the smoke behind her._

_The young woman (she couldn't have been more than twenty years old) looked up, revealing the metal eyemask that covered her face. "You bitch!" She screamed with rage. "It isn't enough that you murdered Stephanie, you've killed my friends and had to finish the job with me!"_

_The figure, humanoid in appearance -except for two massive bat wings – laughed. It was harsh, evil laughter that held no joy._

_"What is it, Saravelda? Feeling a bit lonely since I killed your little pals?" The figure stepped from the mist; it was an evil demon woman Digimon. A mask that resembled Myotismon's covered her face, and her red eyes were fully visible. She raised the silverblonde's head up with her hand so the woman could feel the Digimon's breath on her face. "Oh, don't look so sad," Belial Arcanimon said mockingly. "You'll be joining them soon enough."_

_"Like hell, you ho!" Sara slapped her hard across the face. Belial Arcanimon's eyes flashed._

_"I see... so you want to play the hard way?" Belial Aracnimon's leg moved in a blur, delivering a swift kick to the woman's abdomen. Sara flew and landed hard on her back, momentarily out of breath._

_"I never gave you permission to take a nap! YOUKAI RAGE!" The Demoness Digimon conjured a dark ball of light between her hands, which grew in size until it was about the same size as WarGreymon's Terra Force. Just before she flung it at the young woman, she smiled evilly at her. _

_"Die."_

_Sara's white eyes widened in terror._

**OOO**

Elsewhere, there was a bright, bright forest.

And in that bright, bright forest, it was a bright, bright morning.

And on this bright, bright morning, there was something stirring on the bright, bright ground.

And on the bright, bright ground it stands straight up like a bright, bright monster.

And, just like a bright, bright monster, it has bright, bright hair.

And in accordance with that bright, bright hair, the bright, bright monster turns and-

_Snores._

Whoops, that's just Zoe with a bad, bad case of bright, bright bed head.

But you still might want to run away.

Anyways, the young girl stretched and yawned. Her bleary eyes made out the outline of a figure standing straight up. She blinked a few times and recognized Sara, the bright, bright (I like this phrase a bit too much) sunlight reflecting off her metal eyemask.

Now that Izumi thought about it, she realized that her mask looked a lot like Kazemon's. It had no eyeholes, but there was something strange about it. Kazemon's mask was just meant as a shield from the wind. And the wind spoke to her, telling her directions. But Sara's mask seemed colder, more metallic. _No life._ She could see her eyebrows, since the mask covered her eyes and her eyes only. But since Sara barely showed emotion, it didn't help too much.

"Good morning," Sara said without a single sign that she had even noticed her.

"Um, good morning," Zoe said shiftily.

There was a brief, tense silence in which Sara knelt and sat in the Lotus position, facing the rising sun. Then-

"'Tis not healthy to keep your suspicions to yourself, that it is not."

Zoe blinked. "Why do you talk so politely?"

Sara considered this. "There is a tale of a Meiji Swordsman, one Hitokiri Battousai. It is said he used the polite version of words to all and anybody he met, partially to make up for his transgressions. That is my reason as well."

Izumi crossed her legs absentmindedly, considering her response. Then she decided to give another question a voice.

"Is there a reason you wear that mask?"

Sara was meditating, not even paying attention.

"Hey! Why won't you look at me when I'm talking to you?"

The older woman bowed her head and considered lying to her, then decided against it.

"Because I _can't _look at you."

"Oh... you're-"

"Tall? Blonde? Incredibly sexy?"

Izumi's mouth twitched at this last one. "I was going to say _blind_."

Sara's eyebrow creased slightly. "I always forget that one," She said with a bit more than a hint of bitterness. "Now come on, it's dawn and we better make some headway before it's noon."

**OOO**

_Pulling back into the security of the shadows of the small balcony, the bat-winged figure peered through the hard driven rain and waited. Ignoring her black, soaked clothing hanging heavily on her frame, clinging wetly to her clammy skin, she hunched her shoulders and blinked rain out of her eyes, reaching up slowly to brush her dripping silver hair away from his face. Shifting from one foot to another, silently increasing circulation into her cold extremities, she watched her prey vigilantly, red eyes narrowed against the nearly impenetrable shield the torrential rain placed in the distance between hunter and hunted._

_"Is he there?" A figure spoke. The white-clad ice queen glared with anger._

"_Of course, Saravelda. Would your ryo- youkai lie?" As much as Belial Arcanimon resented that girl, she still couldn't resist morally poking her. _

_Sara growled and turned away. She allowed her mind to wander down a familiar path, the same bittersweet pain now almost pleasurable in comparison to the emptiness that followed her from day to day. Her lips moved slowly, mouthing the familiar words silently, her breath puffing out gently, condensing in the cooler air surrounding her. "Rain, like snow, is a beautiful thing..." _

_She shifted her weight once again, cold fingers fiddling with the handle of the girl's katana. "Always cold...always damp...so pure." A soft sigh escaped her parted lips, narrowed eyes never leaving the object of his perusal a short distance away from her stealthy location. Briefly she closed his eyes, images flitting through her mind, sharpening the pleasure pain jolting through her at the memories assailing her. Rather than running from the intensity, she embraced it and used it to fuel her sense of purpose. _

_White eyes snapping open, she focused again on her self-imposed task and tilted her head to the side in consideration. _

_"Only the purest things enjoy the rain and snow...the cleansing it offers." A fleeting smile played about Belial Arcanimon's lips when Sara's resentment grew. Belial Arcanimon knew how much she hated her talking about purity. "No matter how hard it rains or snows, it cleanses the soul." _

_"But not dirty souls." _

_Her expression hardened. Belial Arcanimeon grinned evilly. Sara's eyes narrowed as her hands closed into white-knuckled fists at her sides. _

_"Never filthy souls that change it. Dirty souls will never be clean... no amount of pure rain or snow will ever wash away the foulness... the stench... of corruption clinging to it." Sara said scornfully._

_Sara slowly raised a hand to brush her hair off her face, features twisting with hatred. _

_"Oh yes... there are men like that... oh yes indeed.. .filthy... disgusting... unclean..." Sara growled with contempt._

_Belial Arcanimon drew in a deep breath through her nose, imagining that she could almost smell the fragrance of death. Next to her, she could taste Sara's anger growing._

_"There was a man once...a short time ago...yes, there once was a man who did away purity with his baseness...oh yes...he spread his filth upon the cleanliness of perfection..." _

_A scowl crossing her shadowed features, white eyes going slightly out of focus, she lowered her hand to rest against the hilt of a katana hidden beneath the concealing material of her trenchcoat. Her hands closed into fists, knuckles turning white as rage threatened to consume her. _

_"Unacceptable!" The word emerged through clenched teeth to echo hollowly in her ears, barely covered by the pounding rain. She drew in several deep breaths in an effort to calm herself. She'd waited too long for this day to come to be thwarted by her own carelessness. She couldn't afford to be discovered... not yet at least. _

"_But still...a man who has taken someone's purity..." She muttered bitterly. "He doesn't deserve this...this life! A killer should be punished for the blood he has spilled, the crimes he has committed. For the sin of stealing away such innocence... He shouldn't be allowed to walk the streets... Nor should he be allowed to experience joy and sorrow, tenderness and kindness... Love..." The concept left a bitter taste in her mouth...that one such as that man would experience something as beautiful and wonderful as love, when, because of him, she could not... After all that he had done, all that he had stolen, and all that he had corrupted with the filth of his existence...it was unacceptable._

_"It is time," Belial Arcanimon said, bringing her creator out of her reverie._

_"Yes... it is finally time for revenge," Sara smirked evilly, and the two set off to murder the one formerly known as Sara's father._

**OOO**


	3. Simple Things

**This Chapter brought to you by Alphaken, a subdivision of Alpha Studios.**

Gee, sorry about the wait! All reviews accepted! (Begs rather pathetically) I hope you noticed that the visions Izumi gets are actually flashes of the past, present, and future. So far, all of the ones she's had are past, but as the story goes on, her mastery of time will grow, and she will get flashes from the future to be (some of which she can't necessarily change.) From now on, these will be labeled accordingly.

**Authoristic Note:** Finally! Well, hello there, and welcome to the third chapter of Digimon Unlimited. I've been lurking around in the RuroKen section, and I just sorta ignored this. But no longer! I now have a friend who will help me out with this task! (Points to curtain) Please welcome Makimachi Misao!

(Misao enters)

Misao: Alpha, I hope you haven't forgotten your part of the deal. (Points) Go capture my Aoshi-Sama!

Alpha: Yeah, yeah. (Takes out a Pokéball and wanders off)

Misao: Wait, you can't... Whatever...

**Digimon Unlimited**

---------------------------------

Chapter Three: Simple Things

"... Nice place."

"Are you using sarcasm on a blind person, Izumi?"

Izumi had traveled through the forests, swam across the rivers, hiked up the mountains, and crawled through the desert to find...

...A cactus.

Wow. _La octava maravilla. (1)_

"Yes, I _am_ using sarcasm."

Sara looked down at the shorter girl. "Was it for good reason?"

"Yes."

"Would you like to see me prove you wrong?"

"No." Izumi said dryly. "I would like to see you _try_."

"Ah," Sara grinned, cracking her knuckles. "A challenge? Well, I will be certain not to disappoint you, Lady Izumi. All pregnant women and children under three years old, please cover your eyes."

Zoe crossed her arms confidently and smirked.

Sara raised her palm up in the air.

"_**Digital Conjuration!**"_

Zoe's mouth fell open.

_"**Earth Style! Pixie Pass!**"_

A whooshing sound, and then-

"A jungle? In the middle of a desert? Oro..."

Sara put her hands on her hips while standing next to the floating hole in the air. "If you only believe what you can see, then you're in serious trouble, hon," she grinned. "Come on."

Zoe blinked and entered the hole. Which closed behind her.

---------------------------------

They followed Takuya in their natural order of ability; Kouji, Kouichi, and Tommy on JP's shoulders. Takuya didn't talk to anyone, his mouth set grimly. _I'm sorry, Izumi. Ultimately, though, we have to save the Digital World, and we'll just have to do it without you. I just hope you're alright..._

"We're here!" Bokomon said cheerfully.

"The Village of Beginnings... oro..." Neemon said, oroing.

"Hey, look! Digieggs!" JP exclaimed gleefully. He reached out to touch one, when-

"GET OUT OF HERE, INTRUDERS!" a voice boomed.

"What?" Kouji growled. "You can't tell us to do anything!"

"I CAN AND I WILL!"

"Just who are you, anyway?" Takuya glared into the surrounding shrubbery.

"I am Swanmon, caretaker and protector of the Digieggs! I will protect this village against any and all intruders!" The Digimon in question waddled out angrily.

"We're not intruders!" Kouichi yelled.

"Yeah," Tommy added. "We're legendary warriors, sent to the Digiworld to protect it against the Royal Knights!"

"Hmm..." Swanmon said. "If you really are legendary warriors, then are you here to help me take the Digieggs to a safe place?"

"Um, no, we just got here," JP said apologetically.

"But the Royal Knights are coming! You have to get some help!"

"WHAT!"

---------------------------------

"... You have to be kidding."

"Nope."

Izumi fell over anime style.

"HAVEN'T YOU PEOPLE EVER HEARD OF ELEVATORS?"

Sara stayed calm with her arms crossed as Zoe spazzed out. "_You_ have to climb up _there_," she said, pointing to the mountain in the middle of the jungle. There was a series of staircases leading all the way up to the top. You could see a coliseum at the peak.

(A/N: Is this sounding familiar? Because it should. If you don't remember, all will be explained shortly, so don't fret.)

Izumi blew a strand of hair out of her face and began to climb. She was surprisingly energetic, considering that she had just gone through a desert and a jungle. But as she climbed, she began to feel a burning at the back of her eyes. "Oh god, not again," she whispered as the prickling sensation intensified.

---------------------------------

_"So, I guess this is the end of the line."_

_"I suppose..."_

_Sara was facing a wall of fire. It was burning from top to bottom, but when it slackened, it would begin again from the side._

_"So this is your borderline." Another young woman came from behind Sara. She was wearing a bandanna, and had who long white hairs coming from her head under the bandanna. The rest of her hair was brown. She looked Mexican, actually, and she spoke with an L.A. accent. "Looks awfully hot."_

_"It is." Sara replied._

_"Are you sure you want to cross?"_

_"Are you sure you want to stay here?"_

_The girl smiled. "Someone has to protect this dimension from Apocalymon's wrath."_

_"But Roxanne, you're not guaranteed to come out after this! This is your last chance to stand a possibility of making it home!"_

_"I don't have a home." Roxanne said calmly._

_"Neither do I!" Sara persisted. _

_Roxanne smiled. "At least you have your sister."_

_"I used to."_

_They watched the wall in silence._

_"So, will you cross with me?"_

_"No."_

_Sara sighed.  
"Don't worry a single golden hair on your head!" Roxanne smiled gently, and gave her friend a hug. Sara buried her head in Roxanne's shoulder._

_"Ah, well," Sara said, pulling away. "This is the way it has to be..."_

_"Lo que sera, sera."_

_"Y tu, vas a estar bien?"_

_"Siempre olvido que entiendes Español…"_

_Sara grinned. "Pues, ya me tengo que ir."(2)_

_Roxanne nodded. Sara turned around, holding Roxanne's hand. She began to walk through, but when Roxanne felt the wall herself, she winced. Pulling back, she blew on her burnt finger. _

_"I always did wonder what kind of material you were made of, Sara..."_

---------------------------------

Zoe dragged her feet weakly over the last step and looked up at the twilight sky. There was Sara, fresh as a daisy.

"How did you get up here before me?"

"I took the elevator."

"..."

---------------------------------

Pixiemon was meditating in the sanctuary. He opened one eye, thinking he heard something. Seeing nothing, he went back into his happy place.

"Pixiemon-sensei?"

"Kyaaa!"

Sara smiled apologetically. "Gomen ne, Pixiemon-sensei. I have brought the One."

"Oh, really," Pixiemon said in his high-pitched voice. "If she's the One, then that means she gets visions. Does this girl get visions?"

"I dunno... she just collapsed and I carried her over here."

"She might be getting a vision right now."

"Just let her get some sleep. She can meet us in the morning."

---------------------------------

_"Where are you taking me?" Zoe protested, but the little fairies wouldn't let her go. They continued dragging her along; up a cliff, in fact. She looked up and gasped. There was a great noise from below. As the fairies deposited her at the edge, she looked down._

_Sara was fighting some strange-looking man, half- angel, half devil. She had been thrown to the ground, and was trying to escape this strange roulette- like thing in a sphere over her head._

_"Oh, no," Zoe whispered. "I have to get down there." She tried to climb down, but the digignomes-for they were digignomes- wouldn't let her. "Let me go!" she yelled, straining. "That's my friend down there!"_

_The roulette sphere imploded, and Zoe gasped as Sara lay there, helpless. _

_"Still alive, are we? Resilient little girl," the half- angel, half-devil monstrosity smirked, and opened his palm outward. A ball of black light grew in his hand. Sara glanced weakly at the ridge._

_"Nunca pensaba que esto seria el fin..." (3)_

_"Now, die!"_

---------------------------------

"NO!" Zoe gasped, sitting up in a bed. She touched her sweating face.

"It was only a dream," she sighed.

Then a flash of text went through her head.

**People have hope because they cannot see death standing behind them**

And Zoe knew what she has seen had been no dream.

Sara was going to die.

---------------------------------

A/N: this chap was finished on Wednesday, December 14, 2005. God, I'm lazy. But I'm going to Mexico for Christmas break, and I couldn't leave y'all w/o a chapter! Sorry it's so short.

Let the torrent of protest begin (ramen noodles fly at Alpha) don't hurt me rabid fan tribe!

1) The eighth wonder of the world (sarcastic)

_2) Lo que será, será._ What will happen, will happen.

_Y tú, vas a estar bien? _And you, will you be all right?

_Siempre olvido que entiendes Español…_ I always forget that you can understand Spanish…

_Pues, ya me tengo que ir._ Well, I have to go.

3) I never thought this would be the end...


End file.
